Page 124 of Losers, Part I

“Saturday?” I said. “Is that when the revenge mission is?”

Jason laughed. “The revenge mission, right. I see you’ve already talked to Vincent about it.”

“Don’t sound so excited about it, fucktoy,” Lucas said. “What we’re going to do is far from legal, but you’ve never had a problem with that, have you?”

“Not when it’s for a good cause,” I said easily, getting Jason to smile again and Lucas to look even grouchier. “What’s the plan?”

The two of them exchanged a look that spoke of nothing but trouble. Lucas stepped toward me, the strap of his paintball gun over his shoulder. He looked at me like he was sizing me up, and I automatically straightened my shoulders and stood up a little taller.

He noticed me do it, and his nostrils flared.

“All those fucks are going to be at a house party this Saturday,” he said. “It’s at Nate and Danielle’s house in the Heights. Since they thought it was funny to come and thrash our shit, we think it would be pretty damn funny to return the favor.”

Of course — the very same party I’d gotten an invite to that morning. But there was a problem they may not have considered.

“How are you going to get in?” I said. The entire community of Wickeston Heights was gated, and you were required to have your name put in at the guardhouse before you’d be allowed inside.

“Well, you got an invite to the party, didn’t you?” Jason said. A door clicked shut, and I glanced back to see Manson had emerged from the garage and was making his way over to us.

“Yeah, I got invited,” I said. “Let me guess: you want me to RSVP, get my name put in, and then I’ll get you all inside?”

“Exactly,” Jason said, speaking rapidly with excitement. “I’ve got paintballs sitting in a cooler with dry ice, and we’ll have allthe tools we need stored in the back of the Bronco. The last thing we’ll need is a distraction.”

“I’m great at being distracting,” I said, and Manson chuckled. My brain was already churning with ideas, but Lucas was still glaring at me.

“You’re volunteering to come along and fuck up your friends’ night?” he said. “Really?”

“They’re not my friends,” I said quickly, and Lucas rolled his eyes. “I mean it, they’re not! They destroyed your cars and left me here to take the blame. Alex is a complete asshole creep and Danielle is a backstabbing bitch.” I folded my arms. “So no, they’re not my friends, Lucas.”

He held up his hands. “Hey, whatever. But you’re sounding defensive. Maybe a little guilty…maybe a little uncertain…”

“Lucas…come on, man.” Jason shook his head. “She wants to come.”

“Never said she couldn’t,” Lucas said. He leaned close to me again, the challenge obvious in his posture. “All I’m saying is that I don’t think she’s going to rise to the occasion. I don’t think she’s down.”

“I think she is,” Manson said. “You love a challenge, don’t you, Jess? Because this is going to be a big one.”

“I’m ready for it,” I said. “You’ll see. You guys aren’t the only ones who want payback.”

Lucas still didn’t look as if he believed me. But Jason sounded excited when he said, “Perfect. We’ve got this in the fucking bag.” He fired a shot, hitting the window right where it was cracked and shattering the glass. “Saturday is going to be fun.”

45

Jessica

That Saturday, I found myself waiting in line to get into the Heights behind the wheel of Manson’s massive rumbling Bronco.

It was way more fun to drive the beastly vehicle than I’d expected. The big tires and lifted suspension made the entire thing shake and bump as we drove down the road, jostling us in our seats. Manson sat up front with me, while Lucas, Jason, and Vincent were in the back, their heads ducked down so the guard wouldn’t see them as he checked my ID.

It was the same old guard who’d been working that gate for years, although it was far more difficult for him to leer at me when I was in a massive SUV instead of a tiny car.

“Welcome back, Mr. Reed,” he said, giving Manson a wave before he opened the gate and let us drive in. I wasn’t surprised he remembered Manson, who used to live in this neighborhood with his former social worker, Kathryn, and her family.

I breathed a sigh of relief once we were in. The boys straightened up as I drove through the Height’s winding roads. Some of the houses here were truly massive, mini mansions on every corner. Danielle and Nate’s house wasn’t so grand, but it was still large. It sat on a one acre lot, a rambling farmhouse surrounded by trees. The only way they were able to afford it wasbecause they had Matthew and his girlfriend as roommates.

I made sure not to drive by the house, but parked down the road so Manson and I could get out. We’d discussed how we could best stage this distraction; we wanted to give the others plenty of time to do everything they needed to, but we also needed to scope out the place before they could move in.

I’d come up with the plan we finally settled on, the perfect way to get and keep everyone’s attention at the party. We just needed to do something they’d never expect.

---